A children's choir from the U.S. state of Utah has captivated crowds during their eye-opening visit to China, creating moments of connection between cultures.
The young singers performed their beautiful renditions of a Chinese song in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven, a major historical attraction in Beijing.
With nearly half of its members coming to China for the first time, the choir explored the city's iconic landmarks including the majestic Great Wall and the magnificent Forbidden City, experiencing the charm of Chinese culture.
While the historical architecture left them in awe, the adorable pandas at a zoo won their hearts.
The choir members also delighted in Chinese cuisine, from Sichuan-style spicy hot pot, to Cantonese shrimp dumplings and Beijing-style noodles.
"Honestly, I didn't expect to like a lot of the foods. The foods are a lot different than I thought they would be. But I love all the food and I'm going to start making some traditional Chinese food at my house because I've loved it," said Perry, a member of the One Voice Children's Choir.
Amid the China travel boom, a growing number of overseas visitors are gaining new cultural insights like these as the country welcomes the fostering of bonds between peoples.
US children's choir sings Chinese song in Beijing, builds bonds
Russian helicopter manufacturers are looking to take their partnerships with Chinese firms to new heights at the 10th China-Russia Expo, which opened in Harbin of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Sunday.
The expo highlights future industries including intelligent equipment, digital security, green building materials, new energy storage and other key fields.
As the largest comprehensive exchange platform between the two countries, Russia's leading helicopter makers are seeing fresh opportunities to team up with Chinese machinery firms, seeking reciprocal partnerships that draw on the strengths of both sides.
Sergei Suchilin, Head of Life Cycle Support at Russian Helicopters, part of the state-owned high-tech conglomerate Rostec, joined the event to present their best products.
"The first one is [Mil] Mi-17, the most common, the most popular model all over the world. It has a lot of different modification and can be used in very many variants of exploitation. First of all, it's for transportation for personnel and cargoes, also it can be used on search and rescue operations," said Suchilin.
Beyond showcasing, Suchilin was particularly keen to connect with Chinese exhibitors and explore potential cooperation, hoping to tap into their manufacturing edge.
"Machines and equipment, I think, it is more interesting -- like a big producing plant for us, and China is famous for its machine and equipment. This field of economics is developing very well nowadays in China," said the Russian exhibitor.
Dozens of meters away from their booth, a variety of aero-engine models for passenger planes, cargo drones and helicopters were on display in the Chinese exhibition zone, covering a comprehensive industrial chain, which is especially appealing for Suchilin.
"It's our first visit and it is really interesting for us, because there are a lot of new developing industries in China and it is very interesting to have a look, and maybe we may have some cooperation in the future, to know the projects of local producers," he said.
The enthusiasm for collaboration is mutual. Zhang Yuliang of Xinghuo Machine Tool in Hebei Province expressed strong confidence in the Russian market, thanks to the high reliability and cost performance of his products.
"We have full confidence in the Russian market. Since 2022, the share of our products exported to Russia has risen from 10 percent to 50 percent. Chinese products boast high-cost performance and stable output. We will keep expanding production capacity to meet the needs of Russian clients," he said.
Russian helicopter makers eye collaboration with Chinese firms at China-Russia Expo
